A missing dog that garnered an outpouring of community support in Marin has been found.
The 4-year-old labradoodle named Teddy was sheltered for weeks by a San Rafael woman who was unaware a search was underway, said Oregon resident Rebekah Whittaker, the dog’s owner.
The woman, who was not named, told Whittaker she took the dog home after finding it wandering in a parking lot near Andersen Drive. She contacted Whittaker on Sunday night after seeing a flyer advertising the search.
The woman declined to collect a reward, Whittaker said.
“I’m kind of beside myself and cannot believe it,” Whittaker said. “He’s very healthy and super clean, so I guess she’s been taking care of him. I’m just counting my lucky stars.”
The dog went missing on March 28 after Whittaker’s family left its vacation rental in San Rafael to get dinner. The search resulted in a massive community effort, with residents, first responders, mail carriers and dog-lovers from across Marin searching for the lost pet.
Whittaker has been driving down on weekends from Eugene to continue the search. When she saw the 4:30 a.m. text from the San Rafael woman, she thought it was a scam. Several people have tried to take advantage of the situation by reporting the dog was hit by a car and needed surgery.
“I kept saying, be positive, today is a great day for Teddy to be found,” Whittaker said.
The next morning, a phone call and photos showed promise that the dog was Teddy. Amber Steuernol, a local resident helping in the search, met the woman within 10 minutes, and a microchip scan confirmed the dog’s identity.
“Everyone at the vet was like, is that the missing dog?, and I was like, I hope so,” Steuernol said. “He’s happy. I have some of his tennis balls outside my house, and he ran right up to them and got one.”
“Teddy’s in good spirits,” she said. “It doesn’t look like he’s been missing for a few weeks. He just looks like he went to a friend’s for a few weeks.”
On Monday, Whittaker pulled her kids out of school to make the drive to reunite with Teddy, a new collar in hand.
“I’m so thankful for everyone in San Rafael for helping us so much,” said Whittaker’s 16-year-old son Jackson. “I’m so grateful for that.”
Rebekah Whittaker said residents went above and beyond in their efforts to find Teddy.
“I just want to say thank you to the community of San Rafael and everyone,” Whittaker said. “From the bottom of my family’s heart, thank you. They’ve brought my whole family back together again.”
